Flyers add scoring, size in first round of NHL Draft with Porter Martone, Jack Nesbitt picks

New York Times

5 hours ago

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Headed into Friday's first round of the 2025 NHL draft, the Philadelphia Flyers system had two discernible needs: more size and snarl, particularly considering the way the league is trending lately, and another potentially high-end center.
They may have addressed both with Porter Martone, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound agitating winger taken with the sixth-overall pick, and Jack Nesbitt, a 6-4, 183-pound pivot that they traded up to acquire 12th overall.
Advertisement
Regarding Martone, GM Daniel Briere stuck to his word from earlier this month when he suggested the plan was to select the best player available with the Flyers' highest pick. After there was a run on centers with Michael Misa, Anton Frondell, Caleb Desnoyers and Brady Martin going second through fifth, the Flyers snagged Martone, who posted 37 goals and 98 points in 57 games as a right wing for OHL Brampton this past season.
'We would have preferred a center, but we felt we couldn't pass up on a chance to bring a difference-maker like Porter Martone to the team,' Briere said.
A legendary moment.
Charles Barkley welcomes Porter Martone to the City of Brotherly Love. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/5EBBvTJQh1
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 28, 2025
Martone is viewed not only as a scorer but someone who can play an aggressive, physical style when necessary. That was overtly reflected in a trio of players Martone said he looks at as comparables: Corey Perry, Matthew Tkachuk and Wayne Simmonds.
He also may be the most NHL-ready player of the draft. For one thing, wingers are typically better able to acclimate to the league more quickly than any other position, and Martone was the only winger selected among the first dozen picks. He also got a brief taste playing with and against NHL players after he earned an invite to the IIHF World Championships in May to skate for Team Canada at the conclusion of his junior season.
Martone expressed a high level of confidence that his path to the NHL will be an abbreviated one, and Briere didn't necessarily disagree.
'At the World Championships (playing) against NHL players — I think I proved that I can do that. I think I proved that I fit in,' Martone said. 'But, I'm going to continue to get better every single day.'
Said Briere: 'His body, the way he's built, is a little bigger, thicker guy. … He's a really good player already. He's pretty close to being ready. I don't know that it's going to be the right thing to play him this year in the upcoming season, but we'll see. If there's one thing I would say in this draft, he's pretty close to being the most ready out of that group.'
Advertisement
Martone is also familiar with three current Flyers from his experience at the World Championships: Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim and Tyson Foerster, who also skated for Team Canada. Briere said that he received texts from Sanheim and Konecny joyfully approving of the pick, while Foerster 'couldn't say more good things about Porter in trying to convince me to take him.'
'All three of those guys were tremendous to me,' said Martone, who was scoreless in two games in the tournament. 'One thing I noticed over there is how much they loved being a Flyer, and how much they take pride in being a Flyer. … I can't wait to be their teammate.'
Nesbitt is more of a project than Martone. While his size and scoring are intriguing — he posted 64 points in 65 games with OHL Windsor this season — his skating is a distinct area of concern.
Nesbitt knows it's something he needs to work on, while concurrently adding more bulk.
'I play a very physical game. As a bigger guy, I need to improve my skating and I'm looking to put on a little weight, so that's going to come, as well,' Nesbitt said. 'But, yeah, I'm going to be working a lot of my skating, quick feet. As a centerman, I have to get into the small areas pretty quick, and be able to forecheck.'
That's clearly something that the Flyers figure Nesbitt, who was voted the most improved player in the OHL coaches poll, will be able to overcome, considering they paid a fairly hefty price to move up to take him in surrendering the 22nd and 31st overall picks to the Pittsburgh Penguins. According to a Flyers team source, the club was under the impression that Nesbitt, who was 15th in Corey Pronman's final mock draft, would be taken 'in the next pick or two,' which forced them into action.
Why did they target Nesbitt so aggressively?
'The package,' Briere said. 'The combination of the size, the grit, the playmaking abilities, the goal scoring already. Second half of the season, he took a big step on a really good Windsor team.'
Advertisement
Regarding his skating, Briere compared Nesbitt with Foerster, who dropped to 23rd in the 2020 draft due to perceived skating issues, but has since become a key cog in the Flyers' future.
'If (Nesbitt) hits as a second-line center, it's going to be a huge asset for us,' Briere said.
As for Martone and Nesbitt both having decent size, that's something that, if you believe Briere, was more of a coincidence than anything else.
'It's a nice bonus that they're both tall and will bring us size, as well,' he said. 'But it just kind of worked out that way. It wasn't a plan that we had in mind going into the draft that we wanted to get bigger. It just happened that way.'
The Flyers have seven picks on Saturday when the draft resumes, including three in the top half of the second round (36, 40 and 48 overall).
Briere said there were opportunities to move up again late in the first round, but after trading a second-round pick to Anaheim as part of the deal for Trevor Zegras, and losing the 31st overall pick in the move to grab Nesbitt, they will likely use at least their three second-rounders on Saturday.
(Top photo of Jack Nesbitt: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)